The Lively Maiden
by Rudyji
Summary: AR of twi.book#1 Bella OOC /Jasper IC  mystery love HET .Greek myths Nymphs .male author first fanfic
1. prologue and chapt1 Unforeseen

**The Lively Maiden**

**Prologue**

Renee was part of the retinue of Hermes, in her Nymph capacity. Being a Nymph, she was an eternal nubile maiden. Hermes, The patron of boundaries and Guide to the underworld, treated her well. Of course, by nature Nymphs are frivolous and flighty creatures and are driven to extremes in order to find a mate once every 1728 years. And so it was that Renee left mount Olympia and searched the whole world for a perfect mate for 12 years. It wasn't so easy. The bloodline was taken into account, in addition to fertility and the quality of the psyche. Willingness was NOT part of the requirements, since lovability was an inherent quality of Nymphs. Men just could not help themselves; they craved their attention and found joy from their smiles. Also, she had to locate her mate in a place in touch with nature. The vicinity of a spring was a must, for she could only maintain her vitality by drinking young waters. She travelled from springs to creeks, from ponds to lakes, from rivers to gulfs, from seas to oceans, to finally land in Port Angeles, Washington state in early summer of the 12th year. Time was inconsequential to an immortal; 12 years searching did nothing to impede her resolve, NAY, her need of fulfillment. She came across a most outstanding mind, in a forested neighbourhood of a town named forks.

Of course, she sensed at once the presence of the ill begotten spawns of Proteus, not that they knew that, in the close-by settlement of La Push. She was not irked with them, although it was her opinion Proteus had erred in their making. In any case, they could never have known what she was. They were a lost tribe, isolated from their maker, ignorant of their true origins, unaffected by benevolent creature like herself.

Charlie was 21 years old, studying to be a police officer. He was simple by nature, far from cocky, in short, a good guy. What drew her to him though, was his singular mind; although she could not read minds, she could sense a hint of magic permeating him. Creatures of magic can usually sense one another, not as a sudden influx of knowledge, but rather as a tingling sensation due to similitudes. Humans sometimes had traces of magic in their blood from their ancestors' unfortunate encounters with gods, be they major or minor gods (like Nymphs). Since they were 99% human due to the inevitable combination of time & blood dilution, they could not themselves sense the likeness they possessed with pure magical creatures. Thus, Charlie was perfect for her; a unique mingling of blood would insure an intriguing result for an offspring. She approached him, ensorcelled him by her delightful essence and mated with him. She could never return the love he had for her, for she was sworn to Hermes, body and soul, but she liked him, enjoyed her time in this mortal world and endeavoured to make this task, that was built into her, a memorable one.

She gave birth to a little baby girl, which was a Nymph-human hybrid. Her name was Bella, Bella Swan. Even at a young age, she was very spirited; how could she not be with a minor goddess as a mother? She was pure, devoted to good; she was the joy of Renee's life. Bella instinctively knew they both were different, for she was acutely perceptive. Furthermore, she did not feel that sense of likeness toward humans that she felt toward her mother. When Bella was 12 years old, her mother left to rejoin her fellow gods, but not before explaining to Bella her heritage or legacy.

Bella-Point-of-View

**Chapter 1 : Unforeseen**

Mama was tensed today, but I did not know why. My mother was always so jovial. The change in her worried me greatly. She asked me to take a walk with her...to her favourite spring. I accepted her invitation, but I was confused. Well... I DID know of her sanctuary there, she often went to that place to think or something...

"Bella honey, it will not be far now"

Ugh? oh yeah…I was so lost in thought that I was not even aware we were walking in the woods behind our house.

"sure mama, I am sorry, I was just thinking…"

She smiled at me reassuringly. We walked for another 10 minutes, but I was not tired. At our destination, Renee sat on an outcrop, leisurely putting her feet in the spring water, with a beatific smile on her lips. She then proceeded to tap the rock beside herself to invite me to sit. I did, but I could not refrain from voicing my questions any longer.

"What is going on mama?" I asked with a hint of doom in my voice.

"You are a big girl now, smart enough to understand and I hope, mature enough to accept what life throws at you" omg ! I was freaking out now…she was too serious.

"Ok" I said "please go on"

"Alas, I am leaving, for I must" my thoughts were in a frenzy…_sadness..denial..doom..unworthiness._

"Don't you love us anymore?" I asked with unshed tears in my eyes

"Oh honey, YES I do…but the world is more complicated than you think, love. You see, I am not from here."

"Forks ?" I replied confused

"No sweetie, I mean this world. You know I am different! And so are you. But I don't belong here. My place is elsewhere…with my kind. I have stayed for as long as I could, to watch you grow up"

I was speechless. I mean..I knew she was special..but not out-of-this-world special.

"What are you then?"

"I am a Nymph…I am bound to Hermes..I have been gone a long time, 24 years to be exact..I have been feeling the pull to return for many months now" As she said that, her feet still submerged began to glow eerily.

"Wooah…!"

"I have an affinity to pure and fresh water. It gives me strength and joy to be in contact with it. That is why I came here so often" sure…why not, as long as we are dreaming…can pigs really fly too? God

"Ok sure, you are a Nymph..you glow in spring water" did I sound surprised..nope..I was aiming for smug..unaffected..did I fool anyone? " but what does that make me" I asked

"Why darling, it makes you an hybrid of course" she stroked my checks gently "human-Nymph hybrid" _the best kind of hybrid in my opinion_ shemuttered under her breath. Was I meant to hear that? There WERE other kinds? Sweet Mary mother of god ! "Also" she continued "you have a gift…your mind is self contained, self protected in an innate, unconscious way." Mama was leaving us, but I had a gift..wouhou ! cry..I would have to ponder the meaning of that later.

"But what about daddy ?" a sob escaping through my façade. "what will he think ?"

"Oh Bella, come here!" she held me tight, caressing my hair. After a moment, she said "I talked with your father already. It was not easy but I convinced him he could do nothing to prevent my departure. He does not know exactly why I leave, and you can't ever tell him. I am so sorry honey!" she was becoming very emotional too. "I do love you and I want you to remember that" her hand went into her pocket and brought back a seemingly delicate bracelet of intertwined twigs. Finally she handed it to me with soft words "wear this to feel my presence…I have infused this trinket with a sample of my essence. It may look fragile, but I assure you it's harder than steel." We were both crying openly now, hugging each other.

"Will I ever see you again mama?" I whispered due to the gravity of the moment, my voice almost pleading, although I knew the odds were slim. "I love you so !"

Renee stood up slowly and, her feet still in the water, languishingly keeping her gaze on mine. After an interminable silence, she shook her head and began to sink into the 1 foot deep creek. Her feet, then her legs dissolved into the pure water, as the water itself started to glow a wondrous turquoise light. As her torso and arms slowly dissolved, I heard the last words my mother would ever say to me "You are a very rare person Bella. The joy your life will bring to this world is immeasurable. I am so proud of you" and she was gone. The bluish-green light amidst the water flared once and speeded away towards rivers, lakes and ocean.

I let myself drop to my side unto the hard rock outcrop, and cried my heart out for hours. Then I went back to my home, in search of my father both to receive and give comfort. I was 12yrs and motherless. Life was cruel.


	2. Chapt2 Soul Searching

**I need commentaries **

**Disclaimer : I will quote Khaos from , cuz its funny; I don't own these characters, nor do I care.**

**Chapter 2 : Soul Searching**

BPOV, 5 years later in the peaceful town of Forks

She sensed them at once, or rather she felt something off in her usually shoot-me-now boring town. It was the end of summer, thus the end of her daily forest hiking routine.

She knew why she felt a pull toward nature, of course, how could she forget that dreadful day of revelations 5 years earlier. Still, she felt more comfortable amidst trees and animals and it's not as if she got tired easily. Only a long length of time on concrete and asphalt left her wanting energy. Although she was neither strong nor fast, she sure was resilient. She had learned to explore her attributes, the core qualities that made her who she was; half a freak. It did not really bother her since most people wanted to be different and she had achieved that status just by being born. _Yeah me!_ She thought sarcastically. Her father thought her graceful and she might well be. She was not vain enough to carry a pocket mirror to watch herself walk.

It was a force linked with the night, of _Dark aspect_, but from 10 miles away she could not tell much more. She was lounging on the TV room couch while Charlie was cleaning his Gun on the kitchen table. She decided she needed more information.

"Dad, what are the current gossips in town?" I did not really how to ask that without revealing too much of my motivations.

"Well that's a new one! My daughter indulging in inconsequential news mongering?" he had a smirk plainly visible on his face.

Hum, _how to proceed? _I really had to know, otherwise I would not be prepared when/if I met them. So, with a thoughtful look on my face, I put my index on my chin and tilted my head slightly and asked

"Well, the school year starts tomorrow and I have been so out of touch with the town this summer…a girl's got to be informed" It sounded half affirmative half interrogative.

"Ok then honey, well let's see…Mrs. Newton decided she's had enough and left her family to move to Seattle. Mid-life crisis is my guess." _Interesting…NOT!_ I thought wryly. Fortunately he went on "Also, Harry Clearwater finally decided to join AA…he fell off our boat while fishing last week-end…too much _eau-de-vie_ you see?" Figures.

"Anything else dad?" I was starting to get antsy; maybe I could give him a clue "maybe new people moving to forks?"

"Ah yes indeed, how did you know? Never mind. We are the lucky choice of a nationally renowned Doctor who decided to leave the big cities for a while. The name is Cullen. He moved with his whole family and a big family it is! Five teens, Carlisle and his wife. They live outside town, in a manor"

That was bad, really bad! 7 of them. I did not know what they were yet, but it could get complicated pretty fast. Should I get near them right away? Did I dare? No matter, I would meet them soon enough. _I wish I knew more_ she thought. She was not useless though, since that faithful day at the spring sanctuary, she had learned a lot. Internet was a life-saver; Wikipedia was definitely a blessing from Zeus himself. She was 17 yrs old with a critical yet intuitive mind. She could basically browse the myths pages and separate the bull-shit from the all-too-real knowledge. Although she was weary, she was far from afraid. It was HER town, her grove, so to speak. She needed to meditate on the situation, but she was interrupted.

"Bella are you listening to me?" oh damn, what did he say? "I see you are in one of your contemplative mood again" He had no idea; mortals never did.

"Sorry dad, but I have to go" I said sheepishly

"Hiking again? At 4pm on a Sunday?" He trusted me, but he was still a dad after all.

"Yep, I won't be long. Bye now!" and I ran out the back door.

She was sitting cross legged on her favorite spot; a bed of black shale rock that had been at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean 35 million years ago. It was a very fitting place to slow and deepen her thought processes. She had been there for 2 hours, but it felt like minutes. Thoughts of her mother had inevitably infiltrated her mind but she did not linger on those. Her train of thought was mostly in the right direction:

_Dark aspect, well that was part of the chromatic spectrum in this universe. Important is the __intertwined duality of all things in nature. __Without Night, how could there be Day. Or Light without Dark. Life without Death; doesn't the oak kill shrubs in its shadows. Quite natural indeed. Heat versus the lack-there-of; the destruction of habitats by droughts or Ice-Ages. Relevant only to an alien species finding our remains. In short, Dark but not evil. I can live with that. I need to get closer._

She finally stood up to return home. She would have answers on the morrow. She dreamed that night. She always did of course, but some dream had a special quality about them. It felt more real than to her than when she was awaked. She was discussing the situation with Renee; little did she know that her mother was indeed real. She felt comforted nonetheless, for Nymphs were wise. The trinket she was never separated from, clinging lightly to her wrist, permitted Renee to invade her daughter's dreams at leisure.

In the morning, she felt more calm and rested than she expected. In an unhurried pace, she proceeded to walk to school. Her father could never understand why she never used her truck except to reach near-by towns, nor was she disposed to explain. The smell of burnt hydrocarbons was so unnatural that it made her a little sick. So she used small wooded trails until she neared the school. She was dressed in a free flowing artisanal dress, with a small yellow and white flower in her hair. She also wore light hemp sandals. In short, her outfit was the very concept of simplicity materialized. She arrived at school and was met only with smiles. She felt good and guessed people were happy to see her. Nobody was ever hostile toward her; it was a fact of her life. But as she made her way through halls to reach her first class, expressions of joy sprouted on people's faces. She responded in kind, but she was a bit bewildered. _What's going on now? All of a sudden these children seem to be overwhelmed by my presence._ She always had been liked but that was out of all proportions. She had no idea why. Just before reaching her history class, she encountered Jessica and Angela, who greeted her with warmth. They came closer to touch my arms and spoke:

"Hi Bella!" they said at the same time "welcome back to school!"

Why they couldn't stop themselves from touching her, she had no idea. They weren't really her friends. Nobody was, really. She couldn't afford to let people to get too close emotively. She was too different and she knew instinctively that she would disrupt their lives in a fundamental way. She would surely disturb the flow of their _Chi _in an unpredictable fashion. Furthermore, these 2 girls, although at the same physical age, were a year younger in their education. Bella was precocious intellectually, but she didn't want to push it by skipping multiple grades; 1 year was enough for now. She did not know it yet, but she had also gained much maturity and serenity in the past summer.

I squeezed their hands and kissed them on the cheek. Unconsciously gifting them with happiness "Hello sweeties" I couldn't help the endearment; they seemed so young to me."See you around, ok?" they acquiesced and let me go inside the room. _Here we go _I thought _let's see what we got._

I had felt them while walking the halls; 1 pair in Spanish class, 1 pair in psychology and finally another alone my own history class. _I got all the luck *insert smiley face here*_ although nothing actually showed on my face. It was much better to meet one alone. I saw him at once, his other-worldliness was immediately apparent. How could people miss that? No matter. He was sitting in the back of the room next to a window. I filed that info for later use. I also took a seat in the back, 4 desks from him. He didn't seem to notice me anymore than any other humans and I was glad for it. It meant I had an advantage. I closed my eyes in order to focus, to get a reading on that creature. Almost instantly, my mind pictured the energy I was perceiving as a black teardrop. _Death aspect._ Then after another 30 seconds of concentration, another image formed in the back of my eyelids; an inversed tear drop but this time, crimson with white borders. _Blood aspect contained by a slight Life aspect._ Very interesting. But more to the point, a very distinctive diagram for one such as me. The science of concepts through representative patterns was an innate gift that I was glad to have at that moment. That creature was the result of a wedding between an equal measure of _Death_ and _Life_. So _Undead_. Although the pure _Life aspect_ was in small quantity, the vital _Blood aspect_ came to reinforce it, in an elegant way. The offspring of said wedding was _Dark_, composed of the Black Yin and the Red Yang teardrops, perpetually chasing each others. That symbol was ancient and very powerful. The whole mosaic was at the brink of falling apart, yet it never seemed to fail. There was only one way to read the symbol; Undead, Blood drinker and immense strength. He was a vampire. I did not however feel the taint of demons or the rankness of evil. I had to find out why, so I had to circumspectly catch a glimpse of his soul, through his eyes. So I opened mine for the first time in 10 minutes.

That's when I noticed him studying me with a perplexed expression. I met his gaze with all the confidence a demigoddess possessed. He was even more confused; not often did a 17 years old girl show that much equanimity in the vicinity of a creature such as himself. I smiled thinly as I sensed the probable reason for his bafflement, although never ceasing my evaluation of his soul. I sensed an old guilt, a more recent pain, a yearning for redemption laced with a definite realization of unworthiness. He had yellow eyes, not red and I had a guess as to why. He was old, it was obvious, for such deep lines carved on a soul could never happen overnight. I was satisfied because I was right in my previous assessment.

I had been so focused on him that it took me a while to notice that something was wrong. Half the people taking this class had arrived and were sitting at their place. There was still another 5 minutes before the start of class. The problem was their expression; they all seemed subtly confused for no apparent reason. I looked back at the creature and saw that he still seemed mildly confused. My intuition kicked in suddenly; _hum, that ancient being must be the cause of this mess…he seems to affect people at an emotional level. Devouring and spitting back feelings like a sturdy vortex._

So I whispered from 4 seats away "Empath, FOCUS!" discretely pointing over the people scattered in the room. He went wide-eyed for a second, then shook himself and narrowed his eyes in concentration. The class instantly relaxed. He then returned his gaze to me and whispered back shyly: "Sorry Ma'am"

I liked him instantly. He had a southern gentlemen accent. I smiled at him and, on impulse, got up to take the seat next to him. I gave him my hand, smiled gently and said: "Bella Swan". He flinched away from my hand, but after a couple of seconds, he seemed gather his self-control, now displaying a small smile of his own. He took my hand and softly said: "Jasper Whitlock Ma'am".

**Reviews and commentaries please**

**Rudy-ji**


	3. chapt3 pondering one's insanity

Chapter 3: Pondering One's Insanity

Jasper Pov

_OUT OF NOWHERE_ Jasper thought franticly. He had every reason to be flustered. Bella, with her in-your-face approach, was clearly something weird. _What is she__?_ Pure mystery to him. Jasper was definitely rattled. The last time he remembered feeling this way was a couple of decades ago, when his best friend Alice had materialized in front of him, knowing altogether too much about his life. After the teacher started the class, Jasper let himself think to the events of the past 15 minutes:

Bella had seemed like a normal human to him, if a bit hippie. He had paid attention neither to her nor to other teenage girls at school; he had troubles enough with his thirst as it was, without actively focusing on them. But then she had closed her eyes and her face had adopted the fiercest look of concentration he had witnessed on anyone in 150 years. His curiosity was piqued. She was facing toward the front of the class, with her back straight as an arrow. He realized she was quite magnificent and was instantly surprised to notice such a thing. _What's wrong with me?_ He knew he shoulder turn around and forget all about it. But as long as her eyes were closed, he didn't think it would hurt anybody to look at her and try to guess what her problem was. He opened himself to his sixth sense and tried to block everyone else's emotions from his mind; not an easy thing, but if he wasn't talented with his gift, he would have gone crazy long since. What remained was a powerful feeling of curiosity. _What could she possibly be curious about?_ He thought. He continued to monitor her while the minutes passed by. After 9 long minutes, he felt a short peak of satisfaction. Now he was perplexed. _Was it a challenge for her to keep her eyes closed for 9 minutes?_ He then feared that the girl wasn't all there in the head. But, his reflections were cut short when the girl finally opened her eyes and caught him staring. _I am supposed to have vampire reflexes and speed…so why didn't I look away?_ Having caught him, she then proceeded to look straight at him and studied him openly. He felt such an intense feeling of Confidence exuding from her that it baffled him. And then, she felt amused. Humans didn't act this way toward his kind. It just didn't happen. _She can't be real! _When she was apparently done studying him, she was oozing smugness. At that moment that, he lost it; he retreated in his head to examine his own sanity and forgot all about the class room. He contemplated for a moment that his animal diet had finally came back to haunt him. He then thought about the possibility, slim though it was, that his brother Emmet had found a drug effective on vampires and had then proceeded to administrate it to him without his knowledge. _Farfetched! _He admitted. _Even if it WAS possib…_His reverie was suddenly interrupted by a sweet but urgent voice:

"Empath, FOCUS!" She whispered.

His mind was blank from total shock. _She knows? I mean, she knows! But..but..how?_ And then he saw the children in the class room; fidgeting and looking lost. His eyes widened in consternation. He had lost his grasp on his talent; projecting exactly what he felt to unsuspecting humans. He focused briefly and seized control of his gift once again. He was abashed at his failure and felt he had to say something, anything!

"Sorry Ma'am" he said stupidly.

She once again surprised him by changing seat to be closer to him and extended her arm for a hand-shake. He was taken aback, quite literally, for it was engrained into him to stay far away from warm blooded humans. "Bella Swan" she said gently, but Jasper could feel she was a bit excited. _Oh why not, my thirst is the farthest thing from my mind right now anyway._ So he composed himself, took her hand and responded in kind "Jasper Whitlock Ma'am". _She is strange, but heaven knows, so am I._


	4. Chapt4 Edict

**Chapter 4 : Edict**

**BPoV**

Bella kept her gaze to the front of the class, since she needed to pay attention. She might have been very bright, but she still needed the knowledge. She noticed though, that Jasper didn't share her concern; he was peering at her every 12 seconds or so. She didn't mind at all. As the class neared its end, she could feel he wanted to talk to her. So she looked at him, with one eyebrow lifted.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to skip school? Maybe we could talk more...?" He asked.

She DID want to know more about his strange behaviour, but she felt it could wait.

"No thanks!" his face fell and it made Bella giggle. "Sure I want to talk to you, but this IS my first time through high school, as opposed to you..obviously!" He then smirked conspiratorially. "Maybe after school, you can meet me in the parking lot?" She thought he would agree and was pleased when he proved her right.

"Sure! See you then" He said as the bell rang.

She gathered her school gear and left. She didn't feel weary about the very real possibility of crossing path with the others, now that she had ascertained herself of the none-threat they posed. Obviously, they were still dangerous, insofar as they were creatures of instinct. It still was no more than a DEFCON 4 situation in her mind; Heightened intelligence gathering, no more. The morning went by, in a normal pace. She didn't go in the cafeteria for lunch; rather she opted for a stroll in the near-by woods.

When she came back to the parking lot after 40 minutes, something was definitely wrong. A small crowd had gathered, apparently excited at the prospect of a fight. She made her way through a wall of human flesh, only to find that 2 of the guys there were none others than Jasper and his brother. She turned swiftly to see their 2 opponents; 2 huge wild kids, although they looked more like 25 than 15 yrs old. They seemed to be shaking slightly. There were muffled growls coming out of all 4 of them. That was bad. She never went to La Push on her father's fishing trip; she stayed away for simple reasons. They were ruled by aggressiveness, she was calmness personified. They were unruly and wild, she was composed and reserved. Those traits didn't mix well. Nor did vampires mix well with shape-shifters, she assumed. She had to do something and fast! So she mustered courage and boldly started walking toward them. She stopped right in their midst and adopted a very confident pose. She had no inkling as to the allure she projected to all people gathered. She then spoke in a low tone:

"tsk, tsk, tsk...now boys, that's no way to act. It's neither the time nor the place." She then looked at each of them in turn, her eyes never lingering on anyone. "You two,...your names?" pointing at the two Shifters.

Before they realized it, they found themselves responding:

"Hum Paul.." he said hesitantly.

"Jared?" She decides his questioning tone meant he was asking for approval. That was a start.

She noticed they weren't trembling anymore, _Ga__i__a be praised! _She then pointed at Jasper's brother, arching an eyebrow at him and waited.

"Edward" he said simply

"Ok then" she said "Come with me" she ordered calmly. She spun around gracefully and started walking, assuming they would follow. And they did, if well apart from each others. She heard a collective sigh of disappointment coming from the crowd of teenagers. _Those children wouldn't be lusting for a fight if they knew that surviving the aftermath would be an even thing for them. _She thought wryly. They made their way to the sidewalk and didn't stop until they couldn't see the school anymore. She then led them through the woods for another mile. She wasn't sure but suspected the slow paced walk in itself would help moderate their tempers. Arrived at a large clearing, she stopped to look at them and asked:

"Would you now, _pleeeaaase_ explain to me, the reason for such a dramatic mess?" She waited, but when nobody spoke, she went on "Paul?"

Never did it occur to him to respond with a witty remark like What's it to you, he simply started talking as if he had always dreamed of explaining himself to a teenage girl:

"We were riding our bikes through town when we smelled them. It's our duty to protect people from them. When we realized they actually were amidst people, posing as humans, we felt we had to act." Paul said in a matter-of-fact fashion.

She turned to the two vampires "and you?"

Edward was the one to answer "we smelled those, whatever they are, _things _and went to investigate. When they adopted a threatening posture, we couldn't help but confront them. I still feel they are a danger to us. We didn't want any trouble; that's why we came to a small town like Forks to begin with"

Bella sighed softly. _What a mess!_ She thought. "Do you know who I am?" She was sure they didn't know _WHAT_ she was, but who was easier. Jasper and, surprisingly Edward, nodded in unison. She again filed that info for later use. When the two shifters shook their heads, she went on "My name is Bella Swan" the two wolves nodded their head in acquiescence, for they well knew her father, but still seemed confused as to the relevance of her identity.

Jasper couldn't contain his curiosity anymore "what I'd like to know is what you are!" he asked, having eyes only for her, as if he shared a private conversation with her.

She took a moment to center her _chi_ and breathed in and out once. She then focused her mind on the improvised ritual she knew she had to perform, for the sake of peace. To anyone looking, she suddenly gained a vague but undeniable celestial aura of power around her. The forest around the clearing became deafeningly silent. She spoke with a clear voice that carried without effort:

"_**I am the Heart of this land. The forest is my dominion. When you impinge on my turf, you shall follow MY rules. When under my sway, you shall not fight amongst yourselves. Your fates now stand upon the razor's edge. He who disobeys shall feel my wrath. Ô Hermes! With this prayer, I beseech thee; bestow thy blessing upon this land and create a boundary around the town of Forks. I have spoken."**_

The eerie effect of her ritual slowly departed while the vampires and wolves looked at each other bewildered. Nobody said a word. Finally, Paul & Jared nodded, spell-bound and turned around. They headed back to La Push, forgetting all about their bikes left at school. Edward & Jasper, still wide eyed, also took their leave without uttering a word. _PEACE_ she thought smugly, _well...until they find loop-holes in my edict, that is!_


End file.
